Final Fantasy VIII: Avenir
by Scarlet Lynn Terwiliger
Summary: SquallxRinoa, and SeiferxQuistis in later parts. The SeeDs become entangled in a rumor of a new sorceress emerging from the darkness just five months after the last one. Meanwhile, Seifer's missing, and the SeeDs need to find him before he does any harm.
1. Book One: Revenir

**FFVIII – Avenir**

**Part One - Revenir**

_Why does life decide to bite you in the ass whenever you want to relax? Isn't my life already screwed up without the added pressure of having so many responsibilities?_

These were the thoughts of Squall Leonhart when he woke up to the familiar voice of Xu on the intercom on the dresser in his dorm one summer morning. He felt slightly queasy at first; Balamb Garden must have taken to the skies again.

"Squall! You better get yourself to Cid's office on the double!" Xu called. Although Squall couldn't see Xu's face, he knew she looked indignant, a look she frequently wore.

"Yeah, yeah…" Squall said groggily as he took a moment to shake his head. What time was it?

6:45 a.m. What the hell did Xu want now?

"Squall! Did you hear me? Get over here now!" Xu cried. Squall rolled his eyes. Xu had a short fuse, but she was alright.

"Hurry up and get over here. Xu out." The intercom clicked to indicate that Xu had turned hers off. Squall blinked, still unable to decipher what just happened in the past two minutes of his morning.

He turned and looked around his new dormitory. Squall had just moved in about two weeks ago. Cid had this room made especially for Squall because of his position of SeeD commander. It had a small sunken living area with a couch and a small television, a mini kitchenette (which he rarely used), and his queen-sized bed in his relatively large bedroom. The bathroom was located beside the living room across from the kitchenette, complete with shower, bathtub, toilet and sink.

Squall took a quick shower and got dressed. Clad in his regular clothing; a black jacket and black pants with a white t-shirt, he strolled to the kitchenette to get himself a couple of crackers before leaving. The intercom clicked once again and Squall rolled his eyes.

"Holy crap, Squall! Get you ass over here NOW!"

"Shut up, Xu, I'm coming!" Squall cried. He dashed out of the room and took the shortest route possible to the Headmaster's office, being careful not to crash into the other students along the way.

Once Squall entered Headmaster Cid Kramer's office, he was immediately harassed by Xu. Xu's short brown hair swayed as she marched over to Squall, ready to reprimand him for his apparent "tardiness."

"Squall, where the hell…"

"Xu, please," called the voice of the Headmaster. Cid Kramer was a jolly man with a pleasant, yet plump, round face with glasses resting on his nose. He put a hand on Xu's shoulder and Xu sat down. Cid gestured for Squall to sit down.

Sitting down beside Squall were his friends: the ever-hyper Selphie Tilmitt, the ex-instructor Quistis Trepe, and the rambunctious Zell Dincht. Behind Squall, standing up, was sharpshooter Irvine Kinneas, a former student of Galbadia Garden who transferred to Balamb Garden about a month ago. Beside Irvine was the ever-pretty Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly, Squall's girlfriend. She beamed at Squall and bent down to give him a quick peck on the cheek.

From the corner of his eye Squall saw Zell squirm and grinned. Zell had never really gotten used to the concept that two of his very close friends were actually going out.

Cid continued on. "Well, now that we're all here, we can begin. I need you to do this mission, a SeeD mission, yes," (He glanced at Irvine and Rinoa, the only two non-SeeDs in the room) "but something I need _you_ in particular to do.

"Three months ago, you fought the Sorceress Ultemecia and brought her to her demise. You overcame obstacles, such as the control of my wife, Edea, and her threat to the world under Ultemecia's spell. You defeated Seifer Almasy, the Sorceress' Knight, and a threat to this very planet.

"I'm going to be blunt. I need you to find Seifer Almasy."

Quistis' eyes widened, and Zell punched the arm of the chair he was sitting in.

"Why?" Squall wondered aloud.

"We have just gotten wind of a new Sorceress threatening our world." Cid said simply. Rinoa closed her eyes and Selphie covered her mouth. "I don't know about you, but I don't want Seifer to become her knight again. He's done enough damage already now. There are people all around the world looking for him. We need to keep him here."

"Another Sorceress?" Rinoa whispered. Tears were brimming in her eyes.

Cid nodded. "Yes. We need to keep Seifer here. Knowing him, he'll want to be her knight. And I'm being serious, Zell." He glared at Zell, who snickered at the thought that Seifer would want to be another sorceress' knight. To Zell, it sounded pathetic.

"Bring him to Garden as soon as you find him. We're flying over Dollet right now, and you can start you search there. If you need to, we can fly over Fisherman's Horizon, and you can pick up the Ragnarok and fly to other parts of the world to continue your search."

"When do we start?" Selphie asked.

"Tomorrow at 0800 hours. Dismissed." Cid gestured them to leave. Xu stood up and opened the door.

As Squall exited the Headmaster's office, Xu growled at him. "Better not be late this time, Leonhart."

Cid could hear her. "Xu! Settle down!"

Xu groaned and Squall smirked. Xu and Squall never fancied one another for some unfathomable reason.

* * *

The tears that welled up in Rinoa's eyes finally flowed down her cheeks when she reached her Balamb apartment. She flopped herself on her bed and cried.

_Another Sorceress? Not again… I don't want it to be a repeat of what happened with Adel. I don't… want to be junctioned by anyone anymore._

She remembered what happened three months ago. She too had been under the spell of Ultemecia. She freed the dreaded Sorceress Adel and Adel used her to try and kill Squall and her friends. She cried at the mere thought.

_No wonder I'd never make it in a SeeD exam… I'm… too weak…_

She heard the front door close. _Must be Quistis,_ she thought. But she didn't dare go greet her.

Rinoa and Quistis decided to become roommates in an apartment after Rinoa decided to leave her father's mansion and start to get her own life, and when Quistis lost her job as a Balamb Garden instructor due to lack of a stern demeanour. The two decided to share a place to cut down on the cost of rent, especially for Quistis' sake, for she was left with nothing after she lost her job. Now, she's a SeeD mercenary. She gets hired to take on SeeD missions when others can't.

"Rinoa?" Quistis stuck her head into Rinoa's room. "You here?"

Rinoa nodded. She wiped the tears from her eyes and gave the blonde a watery smile. "Just thinking about the other sorceress, that's all." And she burst into tears.

Quistis sat Rinoa onto her bed and put an arm around her. "You're strong, Rinoa. You're stronger than you were before. Edea's teaching you how to control your sorceress powers, and you're doing exceptionally well."

"I.. I won't let them… junction me anymore." Rinoa's resolve could not be swayed. She punched the bed. "Not like last time!"

"They won't. You're strong." Quistis smiled. "Now, let's get something to eat. We have to start the search for Seifer first thing tomorrow, you know?"

* * *

To Seifer Almasy, life was a game. You run around like a moron and don't get caught or you could be dead. You put your life on the line to try and save your own ass.

"Peters! Open the damn door!"

Seifer sighed. It probably was Mr. Lorne. Again. He turned the doorway and stared right into the angry face of an old man with wiry gray hair and glasses resting on his crooked nose.

"Hello, Mr. Lorne. Whaddya want now?"

"You've missed work for the past two goddamn days! What the hell're you doin'?" Lorne spat.

Seifer blinked. _Damn,_ he thought. _I need a good alibi…_

"Well?" Mr. Lorne prodded Seifer. "I ain't got all day, unlike you. Is flippin' burgers to strenuous for ya? Dumbass," He added after an afterthought.

To help pay the rent for his crammed one-bedroom apartment, Mr. Lorne, the landlord, decided to give Seifer – I mean, Daniel – a job at his fast-food restaurant downtown.

"Daniel Peters, you miss one more day, an' your ass will be fired faster than you could flip a Jumbo Patty!" He spat at Seifer. Mr. Lorne turned around and stomped off his a huff, muttering and cursing to himself.

Seifer groaned. _Life sucks, _he told himself. _What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

* * *

"_Alright, you bastards! Get a move on!"_

"_Yes, sir!"_

_Twenty, no, thirty of them marched down the heart of the immense and scientifically advanced city. Several of them were carrying various items._

"_Bust the door down! Get in there!" said the captain._

_Pieces of wood and debris scattered everywhere as a lesser soldier kicked the door to the lab open. A few soldiers coughed, and pulled out guns. The guns pointed to an old man, carrying similar items to the ones the soldiers had._

"_Wh-what do you want with me?" cried the old man._

"_Shut up! Give us everything you have!" shouted the soldier. The gun he was holding was so close to the old man's back, it almost touched. Shivers went down the old man's spine._

_The old man shook his head in fear. "These items are my hard work! I won't give them to you for your selfish desires!" He clutched the items tighter and gave a defiant stare to the captain of the soldiers._

"_If you value your life," the captain prodded the old man's back with his gun, "you'll hand over those items."_

"_I value my life," replied the trembling old man, "but I value these items more." He spat out the last words so coldly, it even gave the captain goosebumps._

_The captain soon regained his composure. "It's hopeless!" he cried, giving the man a death stare._

_As soon as those words were said, the soldiers pulled their triggers. The old man wore a face of triumph. He jerked this way and that, as the bullets impacted him. Finally, he fell to the ground and a pool of blood surrounded the new corpse._

_The soldiers grinned and took the items from the old man's arms. None showed any guilt, any remorse. Nothing._

"_The old man resisted," muttered the captain. "No one messes with Galbadia."_

**PART ONE – END**

**

* * *

Aka's note: OH MY GOD. oO;; I can't believe I wrote this. It took me weeks to figure something out. xP Hopefully you can figure out who just died if you're a Final Fantasy diehard like me. For all the others, stay tuned for Chaper Two, named "Chercher"**

**BTW: "Revenir" means "to return" in French. "Avenir" means "future" in French. Just thought I'd let you know )**


	2. Book Two: Chercher

**FFVIII- Avenir**

**Chapter II – Chercher**

**Aka's Note: _Well, I have two things before I go on with the story. First of all, I wanna dedicate "Avenir Part 2: Chercher" to my very good online friend, Emyli, because she's my #1 fan and supporter, and my personal motivation to keep going on with the story. Part Two would probably take a little while longer without her support! 3 you Emi-chan!_**

_**Secondly, you might sometimes see me as Scarlet, my true online name. Aka Rai is Scarlet. Get it? xP I have two online names. Thanks go to Ariane for coming up with the name "Aka Rai." 3 you too, Ariane!**_

_**Alrighty, now all that's said, let the story begin!**_

_

* * *

__You seem to not notice I'm in love with you,_

_But then again, who does?_

_I'm heartless, hopeless…_

_But I love you._

* * *

Beneath the blonde hair, the cool exterior, and the tough-as-nails-skin that she often wore, Quistis Trepe was a wreck. Nothing was hers anymore.

She was fired from being a Balamb Garden instructor. _Her_ job.

She lost the respect of the Trepies. _Her_ fan club.

She lost the home at Garden. _Her_ home.

It was _her_ money that had kept her living in the dormitory. It was _her_ money that put _her_ own food on the table.

But it was also _her_ fault that she was fired. Or, so she believed. She was convinced that it was her fault. Obviously Cid wasn't. After Quistis, along with Squall and company, defeated Ultemecia, the sorceress from the future, he offered to have her reinstated. So what possessed her to say no?

Quistis shook her head. _No time to be thinking about the past. I'm a mercenary now. I must… move on._

She would rather fight Omega Weapon again then get out of bed and start her day. She couldn't sleep the previous night because she had been up thinking about today's mission. How would it affect her? How would she feel facing Seifer for the first time in three months, especially after what she did?

As Quistis lay in her small but cozy twin bed, the sunlight peered in through the nearest window. It blinded her; forcing her to close her eyes… did she fall asleep? What time was it?

She managed to roll onto her side to check the time. 7:44 a.m.

Shee-it.

Scrambling out of bed, she stumbled to the shower, dressed, and rushed out of the house, having no time to reflect on today's mission, and what it was going to be like. Sure, she had "diplomatic immunity" from Xu and her constant bickering, but Quistis Trepe never liked to be late for anything.

When she reached the parking lot, she was immediately greeted by Rinoa Heartilly. She was tapping her feet. She was shaking her head. She had her hands on her hips. Quistis thought that it was safe to say she was _angry._

"Quistis! Where the hell _were_ you? We're going to be late!"

Quistis blinked. "Excuse me? Weren't you supposed to wake _me_ up?"

Rinoa rolled her eyes. "I thought you were a big girl," she sneered sarcastically. "I thought you could wake yourself up." She gave Quistis a look.

"Never mind that." Quistis walked so briskly to the car that Rinoa had a hard time keeping up. "Squall and the others are waiting, the Garden's about twenty minutes from here."

**

* * *

Rinoa's POV**

The car ride to Balamb Garden was surprisingly silent. It's not that I was still mad at Quistis for being late; that's a really stupid reason to get mad. I guess we both had stuff on our minds. Seifer's caused so many problems, not only to our world, but to us, emotionally.

I remember… being in a relationship with him. It's funny, I don't remember how we met, but we did. Those were the days… when he was still caring. I remember kissing him and letting him kiss me back. What happened? I still can't remember why we stopped going out, but we did. I always cried, hoping that he would come back, and I could go back into his arms, where I felt the most comfortable. For a moment there, I was ready to pull the trigger and end it all. All my pain, all my suffering, and all my woe. Now that I look back at it, I can see that I was an idiot. I never really loved him, I guess. I couldn't move on. But I'm glad I did.

Squall's a wonderful person. It doesn't seem like it, doesn't it? But he gives me… the most comfort. More than Seifer ever has. More than any other person in this world ever has.

And for the first time in a very long time, I can finally say I'm happy.

I sat in the car for a little while. It was still silent. The only sound you could hear was the soft moaning of the old car, trying its best to drive us to the Garden.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Quistis turning on the radio. I couldn't hear what song it was, though. Probably a lame oldies song from the 1950's, but it was hard to tell.

"Rinoa, I'm sorry," Quistis spoke up out of the blue.

"For what?"

"You know… this morning. I guess I wasn't thinking," she said. "I had so much on my mind, and-"

"It's _alright,_ Quisty," I assured her. Sometime Quistis could get so paranoid. She was very insecure.

More silence. Slowly I turned the dial to raise the volume so I could hear what song was playing.

It was my mother's.

_Mother, _I prayed softly in my head, _I won't let you down…_

_ I kind of liked it your way  
How you shyly placed your eyes on me  
Oh, did you ever know?  
That I had mine on you_

* * *

"_And a good morning to everyone in Esthar! It's another beau-tee-ful day, with a high of..."_

"Hyne…" the owner of the clock gave it a harsh tap. The clock stopped abruptly. He rolled over in his bed. There was absolutely no way he was getting up today.

Without hesitation, he closed his eyes, drifting away into a peaceful slumber…

"_And the Esthar Blunts won the playoffs last night, beating the Balamb Lions at six-nothing! Whoa, Nellie! Rick, did you know that Esthar has not won a single--"_

"Shut up!" He growled. This time, he managed to get up and pull the plug. The luminous clock slowly faded to a dim black.

"PETERS! ARE YOU UP?" The landlord, Mr. Lorne, cried from outside his door.

Daniel Peters, also known as Seifer Almasy, scowled. Ever since he moved to Esthar, he had been given hell by almost everyone around him. After all Seifer had done, he figured he deserved it anyway.

He moved to Esthar because he needed a place to lay low. SeeDs were searching for him. Galbadia now wants him dead. He changed his identity from Seifer Almasy to Daniel Peters for quite obvious reasons. His once golden blond hair was now a dull brown and it had grown a couple of inches. He didn't feel like a proud disciplinarian anymore, he felt more like a criminal. The disciplined. Heck, he'd kill to at least have Fujin and Raijin here now. But he had to keep his head out of the clouds and he'd have to turn and face reality. There was no one to save his ass now. He'd have to suck it up and hope his cover wasn't blown.

"God damn it, Lorne! I'm up!" he called from the kitchen.

"You gonna talk to yer boss like that?" Not only was Joe Lorne the landlord of the apartment, but he owned a burger joint that Seifer worked at. Wonder how a slob like him owned something like that.

After Seifer took a quick shower, dressed, and gulped down his breakfast in two fast, but pathetic gulps, he opened the door to face his boss. "I don't take orders from you."

"Yer lucky I don' fire ya," Mr. Lorned said.

"Good. You know I need the job, to keep myself living here. Hyne, who knows? I could be out on the street right now. I mean, hey, I can't help the fact that my mother couldn't be bothered with me and threw me out on the streets." Seifer even tried to fake-cry once when he told Mr. Lorne this.

For a second Mr. Lorne almost looked sympathetic, and then his face clouded. "Jes' get t'work, alright?"

"Will do, sir," said Seifer and closed the door. He grinned. It was all a big fat lie. A bad lie, yes, but a lie nevertheless. He was still surprised that a man like Mr. Lorne, always on your ass, would fall for a lie like that. His mother was dead, but he knew from what Cid and Edea said that she _did_ care for him. He felt bad that he had to say this about his mother, but he couldn't tell Lorne that he was on the run from SeeDs who want to put him in jail and Galbadians that want to kill him…

* * *

Quistis Trepe was not _in love_. So why did she have so many thoughts about Seifer? She liked Squall, remember? She's supposed to be mad at Rinoa for being with Squall, but she couldn't bring herself to feel this way.

Hell, she almost missed Seifer's quirky antics. _But as a friend, as a friend, goddamn it, _she assured herself. _Not even a friend…_

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Zell Dincht pace around restlessly. It was 8:23 a.m. and they were ready to depart. Even Squall had a hard time keeping his cool. His hand trembled as he smoothed Rinoa's hair; she had wrapped her arms around him.

"So… you think this is gonna be it?" Irvine piped up.

Silence. No one wanted to answer the question, not even Irvine himself. Beneath his cool composure, Irvine Kinneas couldn't keep is cool. He never could. Even two months ago, he couldn't bring himself to shoot Edea while she was still under Ultimecia's spell.

Zell finally opened his mouth, faltered, and then spoke in a surprisingly timid voice. "I dunno. I guess we'll find out once we get there."

"So like… if Seifer's actually there," said Irvine, "what would you do?"

Squall was ready for this one. "I'd probably slug him, maybe give him another scar if I could."

"I'd be pissed off," said Zell, "I say, let's put his ass in jail as soon as we can!"

"Let's just play it by ear, guys," said Quistis. "We have no clue what's going to happen."

Zell smirked. "Sure we do. We find him, kick the crap outta him, and throw his ass in jail 'till he rots!"

"He needs to be tried first, genius," Selphie gave Zell a look.

"Yeah, well, he's going to be guilty," said Irvine knowingly. "It'd be mega-stupid to let him go free."

"I don't know… he could have been under Ultimecia's spell…" Quistis thought aloud.

"Yeah," Zell said, "but Quistis! Come on! He wanted to be a sorceress' knight in the first place."

"We don't know what's going to happen, Zell! Let it go!" Quistis shouted.

Zell blinked. "Hyne, Quistis! Stop trying to protect Seifer!"

The room suddenly became silent. Zell clapped a hand over his mouth. Quistis' eyes widened; her eyes full of tears. She turned to face the wall, her arms wrapped around herself. She didn't want people to see her… crying.

Zell opened his mouth to say something, but Squall intervened. "Let it go, Zell," he spoke softly. "Leave her alone."

All of a sudden, the door flung open. Headmaster Cid Kramer, and the Garden's pilot, Nida, stepped into the silent room. Their footsteps echoed throughout the room, giving shivers to even Squall's spine.

"Ahem... Well, here we all are!" Cid looked around the room cheerfully. "About to embark on a very important mission! How are we all feeling?"

"Is it okay to say 'crappy,' sir?" asked Zell.

"Yes it is, Zell," said the Headmaster with a smile.

"Then crappy it is, sir," Zell said gloomily.

"Now, it's natural to feel the way you do. I understand. Seifer's done a lot to all of us. But we must not let our emotions get the better of us, understand? We must stay strong in order to succeed." Cid turned to Nida, who was stationed in the Garden's 'cockpit.' "Let's go, Nida."

Nida nodded. "Sir."

At full speed, the Garden made its way to Deling City, the capital of the Galbadian continent. Under Squall's feet, he could feel the Garden vibrate softly as it moved. Obviously everyone was used to this, as it happed quite frequently.

Zell paced around faster than he had before, not saying a word in fear that he might offend someone else. He didn't _mean_ to make Quistis cry. She's just too sensitive. But Zell couldn't help but wonder: was Quistis actually _defending_ Seifer? Why?

Suddenly the Garden shook abruptly. They were at Deling City at last. As the door to the outside opened, everyone held their breath. Then, one by one, they stepped outside to begin their search for Seifer Almasy…

**

* * *

Aka's note: _"Chercher" is French for "to look." We know a bit more about Seifer and what's been going on with him to date, and the tension between Zell and Quistis. Rinoa seems to be feeling better about this, too. And about the guy who got killed in Part One, you'll find out who it was in Part Three, which, I promise, will be longer. Stay tuned for Avenir, Part Three, entitled "Trouver." )_ **


	3. Book Three: Trouver

**FFVIII – Avenir**

**Chapter III – Trouver**

"Ouch! God damn!"

Seifer Almasy, or, Daniel Peters – the newest burger flipper at Lorneburger – wiped at a spot of grease that splashed at his cheek as he flipped burgers. His low-income job, as stupid as it was, gave him the money he needed to survive in such a hi-tech city like Esthar.

"Oy! No cussin'!" said the girl next to him.

"Oh, shut up, Xenya," grumbled Seifer.

Xenya was a fairly petite 16-year-old with a smart mouth. Her blonde pigtails that made her look so innocent contrasted with her true personality – a smart-mouthed woman with a strong will and even stronger opinions. Obviously, this didn't go so well with Seifer, who has a similar personality. Of course, their personalities clashed and they don't care for one another.

_Another reason, _Seifer thought, _that this 'life in Esthar' thing is a complete living hell._

Seifer's boss – and his apartment's landlord – Mr. Lorne broke the tension with a clear of his gruff throat. "Well, I'm outta here. Don't y'all burn th'damn place down, a'ight?"

"Yeah, yeah," said Seifer and Xenya simultaneously.

All he could think about was keeping his cool so he didn't blow his cover. Hyne knows what Balamb would do to him… worse… what _Quistis_, his ex-instructor, would think of him…

"Daniel? DANIEL!"

Seifer shook his head of all the thoughts he had. He turned to face the indignant Xenya, who was shaking her head impatiently. "Didn't you hear me?" she said. "There's a customer who wants a Jumbo Lornie!"

"Bah. Whatever, my shift's up now." Seifer handed Xenya his spatula. "_You_ do it, okay?" He put on a fake smile and left Xenya, mouth agape, to finish the job.

The grin Seifer wore didn't wear off even after he was blocks away from the Lorneburger. After turning a corner, he threw his head back and laughed out loud. A few passers-by turned and stared at this lunatic; a mother even directed his son away from him.

_Xenya… what a loser!_ He thought, tears of laughter streaming down his cheeks. _My shift wasn't over for another hour!_

The ex-sorceress' knight turned a corner only to bump into someone. The person he bumped into turned around. Although his eyes were covered with a helmet, Seifer could feel his eyes burning into his own.

"Watch it, punk," he said coolly.

Seifer gave the man a death glare. "I don't take orders from you," he said just as coolly.

"Look, just leave, alright?" said the man with the helmet. "This isn't a place for punks like you."

"Whatever," Seifer turned the other way and walked until he ducked into a nearby alley. Something about the man sounded suspicious. Seifer, being Seifer, was going to find out. As soon as the man with the helmet turned back the way he came from, Seifer crept out of the alley to follow him. Honestly, he didn't know what possessed him to follow this man. It could have been because he thought this man was suspicious, or just out of sheer boredom, he didn't know.

The man didn't seem to notice that Seifer was hot on his tracks. Tracking the man down was easy, really. He was in the alley beside the one Seifer had originally came out of. Ducking inconspicuously into the alley, Seifer stuck to a wall, creeping timidly toward this mysterious man. The man with the helmet didn't seem to notice a thing. Seifer ducked behind a nearby dumpster to observe without being seen.

In front of the man now was a huge black door. It was locked. The man with the helmet tapped four times on the door in a rhythmic sort of way. The door opened slightly and a pair of eyes could be seen. Could it belong to another man with a helmet?

"Password?" said the man in the doorway.

"Screw the password, Lou."

"Oh, hey, Joe! What's up?

"Just let me in, okay?"

"Long live Galbadia!" chanted the man with the helmet as he stepped into the room.

Seifer blinked. Galbadia? So this man was a Galbadian soldier! But what are they doing here?

Even with the door closed Seifer could hear a muffled conversation. He was able to make out what they said.

"Did you get those items?" said a first voice. It sounded like the man in the doorway.

"Yeah," replied the second voice. This one was definitely the man with the helmet that Seifer followed. "I had to kill that man though. He wouldn't give up those damn items without keeping his mouth shut for one minute."

"So, he's dead, and we get all these items to ourselves?"

There was a small pause after that and Seifer assumed that the first man nodded his head yes because afterwards he said; "Now with these items, we can keep Galbadia alive, even through sorceress attacks!"

The conversation ended with repeated chants of, "Long live Galbadia!" and hysterical laughter. Seifer gasped. _That crazy doctor died saving his items?_

It was time to see what the hell was going on.

* * *

The busy atmosphere of Deling City made the search for Seifer that much harder. People were moving this way and that, getting to appointments, to the subway, to their homes. It made Squall - the leader of the group - that much more irritated.

"Hyne, we've been at this all day," Selphie complained. "He's not here, okay?"

"So why the hell did we get all worked up over this for?" demanded Zell Dincht. "I didn't come over here for nothing!"

Quistis nodded. "Cid must have some sort of idea." The blonde ex-instructor ran a few of her tired fingers through her fine blond hair.

A few more steps and she would have passed out. Quistis Trepe had three things on her mind: Seifer, love, and a place to rest.

Seifer Almasy had been missing for almost two and a half months already. People saw him as a menace to society for having turned on the world to serve the sorceress. His "_romantic dream,_" as he called it. Well, looked what happened to him now! Ultemecia didn't love him. But…

Yet Quistis couldn't get him out of her mind. She thought that she could see a different side of Seifer, a side of him that was sorry for what he did, that never wanted any of this to happen in the first place.

Quistis could hear Zell's words echo in her mind. _Stop trying to defend Seifer!_ Was she _actually_ trying to defend him?

She needed to be true to herself. Maybe she _was_ trying to defend him. Maybe she didn't want to see anything happen to him. After all, they came from the same orphanage. They pretty much grew up together. Heck, maybe she hates him now, and maybe she never liked him before. But she knew she needed to be a _bit _more truthful than that…

"I'm beat," said sharpshooter Irvine Kinneas, "can we take a time out?"

But his question was never heard by Squall as he strode briskly through the waves of people. Irvine let out a sigh and marched onwards.

All of a sudden, something knocked sharply into his side. Out of a mixture of shock and pain, Irvine toppled to the ground uttering the word "Shit!" before looking up. He looked up into the panicky blue eyes of an average-sized brunette. Her hair flowed past her waist and fell just above her thighs. She was dressed rather casually; clad in a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Irvine noticed that this girl wore a red tie as well. She looked about seventeen years old.

"Oh, my goodness, I'm so sorry! Let me help you up," she extended a hand, which Irvine took and got up on his feet.

"No problem there, lass," Irvine put on his sexiest smirk before Quistis shoved him aside.

"I'm so sorry… he has a, ah, problem facing girls," she said briskly.

The girl chortled. "Eh, no worries. Hey, you guys look like you were in hurry. You looking for someone?"

Sorceress Rinoa Heartilly nodded. "As a matter of fact, yes. Have you seen Seifer Almasy anywhere?"

The girl's eyes widened. "Seifer? You mean the sorceress' knight? No, never!" She turned to face Squall. "You need any help?"

"Who are you?" Squall asked bluntly.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" The girl brushed her tie and gave Squall a thumbs-up. "My name is Ari. Ari Wilson." She took another look at Squall and added, "And I know who you are. Squall Leonhart, SeeD commander, right? I'm going to take my exam next week!"

"Really?" said Irvine. "Me too. I hope we both make it. Name's Irvine, by the way."

The others introduced themselves and Ari beamed at each one of them. "Sounds good. You don't mind if I tag along, do you?"

"Not at all," said Quistis, "but why?"

Ari blushed and said, "Well, you see, I've just started Balamb Garden, like, yesterday. I moved from a private school in Esthar where they do similar training. But when I found out about SeeD, I moved to Balamb. Anyway, I really don't know anyone around here except you guys, and you guys seem like nice people. Let's cut to the chase: mind if I become your friend?" She extended a hand to which Squall took.

Squall smiled uncharacteristically, "Welcome aboard, Ari Wilson." Rinoa wrapped an arm around his waist, making Zell gag in the corner. Rinoa shot Zell a death stare and Zell stuck his tongue out at her. Zell didn't like the fact that two of his best friends were dating. Love in general makes him squeamish.

After walking in complete silence for about an hour, Zell finally lost it. "God damn it! How the hell are we supposed to find him?"

After realizing no one listened to him (actually, no one _cared_), he shouted at the top of his lungs:

"MOTHERF…" (You can finish the rest)

He swore loud enough to make mothers cover their small children's ears and fathers shoot menacingly stares at him. Not that Zell cared, anyway.

"Look, man," Irvine began. "Chill. We're not going to find him if you keep freaking out like this." He turned toward Squall. He opened his mouth to say, "Are we?" but faltered, instead looking at something past Squall. "What the hell?" he said instead.

Squall's face clouded. "Excuse me?"

"No, look!" Irvine pointed to something in the distance and began running to it.

A shack. In a busy town like Deling? It was a small, rundown, black shack with a grey roof. Many, if not most of the shingles were either chipped of completely broken off. The door was ajar, and sticking out of the door, Irvine noticed, was a small, slightly burnt label.

_Property of Doctor Odine_.

"You guys..." Irvine trailed off, but Squall knew what he was going to say.

"I think we need to pay a little visit to Esthar," he finished for Irvine. "What would Galbadia want with _all_ the items?"

Quistis nodded. "There is a Sorceress threat, yes, but I never imagined it would be _that_ bad."

"Alright then!" Ari exclaimed. "Let's get the hell outta here!" Her red tie flew up in the air as she jumped.

* * *

**Laguna's POV**

Sheesh. Being President of Esthar is much harder than it looks.

I imagined the position to be filled with many leisure times and lazy hours. I thought I could let Esthar do whatever they wanted and I could sit all day and play ping-pong with Kiros. He'd let me win. I thought I could sit and play Extreme Tiddlywinks with Ward. He'd let me win.

I wanted to start the day by getting up at 7:48 a.m. (on the minute!) and go to my office, greeted by my _sexy_ secretary and pulling up at my desk, ready to start the day. Heck, I'd sign a few papers, pass a bill or two, and maybe jack up taxes in a couple of regions. Then I'd have the rest of the day to win at ping-pong or Extreme Tiddlywinks. My assistants and great friends – Kiros and Ward – wouldn't have to do a thing.

Ha. Yeah right. There goes _my_ dream job.

I get up at 5:13 a.m. to drag my butt into my rather large, but boring office every day. My fat, frumpy (sorry, Bertha) secretary greets me in a drawl and a sneer. I'd be lucky to have to sign just _one_ paper. And, darn it, who knew that money could be so complicated? And the games, _Hyne_, don't forget about _the games_. My personal favourite: Survivor. How do you play? First person to survive the day without lunch or a potty break is the winner. How fun. Kiros and Ward are a busy as I am, and I can't blame them. Oh, man!

That's why I cherished today. It's my day off. Ward – Hyne bless his soul – is filling in for me today, while Kiros and I enjoy a nice one-day vacation. I felt bad for him at first, but Ward explained to me (through, uh, sign language?) that he needed the extra money. Things aren't going well for him at home.

All of a sudden, I sat up; bumping my head in the process out of shock after the phone rang. I rubbed my sore head while Kiros answered the phone. Kiros gave me a "what's the matter with you, Laguna?" look and began talking to whoever was on the other line.

"Hello? Ah, how are you? I'm alright. That's good. Hmm. Yes, yes, no, um, I'll see if Laguna can… but, Headmaster," (Ha! It was Cid on the other line. I _knew_ he couldn't leave me alone for one day!) "Laguna's on his day off… It's urgent, you say? Hyne, no. _Yes_, Headmaster Kramer, I'll get him to call you… Um, I'd prefer not to call you 'Cid,' Mr. Headmaster, uh, sir. Goodbye." Kiros hung up the phone and turned to me. "Um, Laguna, that was…"

"Cid, right."

"Yeah. He, ah, wants you to call him back. He says it's urgent."

I groaned. This wasn't the first time Cid's called me on a day off. Heck, he's even called me on _his _days off.

Ever since I found my son, Squall – ever since Cid found out Squall's my son – Cid has harassed me. "_Oh, Squall's a model student. You don't know what you've missed in the past 17 years, Laguna. You're the president of Esthar? Good job! Squall's a SeeD commander! He's such an inspiration! I love having Squall around. Oh, Raine died? Aww… too bad. Yes, Ellone's doing fine. How are Kiros and Ward? Can Ward talk yet? No? Too bad. Your family is simply splendid! An inspiration! Am I rambling? Ah, well, I'll call you tomorrow._"

As much as I look up to Cid (on his good days), he is – and I know I'll regret calling him this later – a real prick. I decided to pick up my journal and begin writing. Cid will just have to wait.

_Date: May 6_

_Oh, finally! A day off!_

_Hah. Yeah right._

_If only Headmaster Cid Kramer were dead; then it would truly be a day off. And I know it's a rather harsh thing to say, but, heck, if you were in my shoes, you'd probably say the same thing. I really don't wish him to be _dead_, rather, not living… at the moment. I could go on and on calling that prick, I mean, Headmaster Cid, all kinds of names, but it wouldn't do me any good. It wouldn't do anything._

_Oh man… now I almost feel bad writing this. I suppose I'll finish this entry when I can get my thoughts straight._

So many thoughts flooded my head; so many, that I couldn't write it all down on paper. But there was one thought, one thought that I know I'd never forget… my wife, Raine. Not my _ex-wife_. My wife. I don't like to think of her as deceased. And I don't like to think of her as I thought of Julia Heartilly. I never loved Julia as much as I love – not _loved_ – Raine. I decided to put my pen back down on my paper:

_Okay, maybe I'll take back that statement about me having a true day off if Cid were dead. I don't want to think about death right now. Sure, it's been a long time since… Raine died, but it still haunts me. I mean… I wasn't even there._

_I want to see her again… I miss her. But, I don't want to die. There's so much in my life I need to do before I pass on. I still love her… but I must move on._

There. A satisfying conclusion. I even decided to pick up the phone and call Cid back, just because I felt a little bit better.

"Change of heart, Laguna?" said Kiros.

"Yeah…" I trailed off, but I managed to come back on track to answer's Cid's "Hello?"

"Hey, Cid!" I said in a tired, fake happy tone. But I tried, I really did.

"Laguna! Just the man I needed. Do you think I could come and see you in an hour?"

"What for?" I was confused. Cid hardly ever comes over here.

"Ever heard of Seifer Almasy?"

I paused. "Kinda…"

The Esthar lift stopped right in front of Dr. Odine's lab. It was time to see what the deal was with Galbadia's large stack of Odine items.

Squall knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again. Still, nothing.

Zell was furious. "Open it up, old man!" He kicked the door with such excessive force that the door swung open and almost came off its hinges. Zell beamed. "See? Look… oh, my God!"

The sights they saw as they entered the lab! All over the ground in the lab was a mixture of Professor Odine's creations and bullets, many of them bloody at the tip.

And in the middle of the room was a pool of blood and a bloodier heap. It made Selphie gag and Rinoa shudder. Squall strode up to where the man lay dead. He had a mixed look of shock and triumph on his face, the shock being from being shot, but the triumph…

"I-I wonder if the Professor knows about this…" said Quistis.

Squall nodded. "Yeah, he knows. But I don't think he can tell us anything…"

He pointed to the bloody corpse. Everyone gasped.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," muttered Ari in disbelief.

No, nobody thought for a second that the professor would be dead.

Not even Squall. But his thoughts were rattled when someone bumped into his side, causing him to knock over.

It was a man, a brunette wearing a cap and a uniform that looked like it was from a burger joint. Underneath the cap was a black headband that covered his forehead. It bore the Esthar logo.

"Oh, sorry…" the man began. He looked up at Squall's apprehensive face. _Oh, damn._

"S'alright," Squall muttered. "Who are you? Do you know the professor?"

"Kinda," replied the man. "Oh, and the name's Dan. Short for Daniel. Daniel Peters."

* * *

**Aka's Note:_ Ooh, do I smell a Seiftis? Hellz yeah! After all these months of doing squat, I still love a good Seiftis when I see one! Plus Sephiroth x Aerith (Sephirith?) is also just as sexy. xP_**

**_I write all my Avenir ideas in a small notebook. One day, it fell out of my bag at school and a group of kids in my class found it and read it. Embarrassed, I took it back. They must think I'm a freak! Oh, well, screw them, I do my own thing! Lol. :P_**

_**Oh, yeah, sorry for being away so long. I rewrote this part twice before I could get something I liked. And I really like this. Watch out for the next part, I haven't got a title for it yet, but it'll be good:D**_


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